Thursday, February 6, 2014

Optrix outfits iPhones for surf or snow

2/06/2014

I have a few videos from family vacations at the beach and the ski slopes - but not many. I was always afraid I would drop or damage my camcorder or cell phone. But now that I have a PhotoX case from Optrix, sand, snow and water are no longer a threat.

The PhotoX is a clear, waterproof case that fits an iPhone 5 or 5th generation iPod Touch. The case has a soft membrane front so you can swipe and click when the phone is sealed inside.

The backside has a threaded connection that accepts a tiny lens. It also has a mounting bracket for one of the many accessories that Optrix sells. They include suction cup and handlebar bike mounts, a tripod connector and a monopod.

Optrix even sells a chest strap, presumably for skydiving, snowboarding or kayaking. That sounds a lot more practical than my approach: skiing downhill while holding my Sony Handycam up to my face.

The PhotoX cost about $100 at Optrix.com. It comes with a flat lens and a macro. A step up is the PhotoProX, which costs $150 and comes with two additional lenses, a fisheye and a telephone.

I wanted to illustrate the PhotoX by shooting a beach video, but as you can see from the clip below, the surf wasn't up.

0
Comments:

Post a Comment

Ric Manning

I started reporting on gadgets and gear when Atari ruled electronic games and computers used floppy disks. My weekly column ran in the The Louisville Courier-Journal and online at USAToday.com and ABC News.com. I regularly attend CES, the CEDIA home theater convention and other tech events. You can follow my Twitter posts @ricmanning and contact me at ricman@iglou.com